Addressing Homelessness Problem as Reported in Study of Over 1,000 People Sleeping in The Rough

Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong asked the Minister for Social and Family Development how is the Ministry addressing the homelessness problem highlighted by a recent study that found over 1,000 people sleeping in the rough.

Dr Lee Bee Wah and Ms Anthea Ong have also filed questions on addressing homelessness for the next sitting. I will address them together with this reply.

MSF considers a person to be homeless if he does not have access to housing. This includes people who have no home. It also includes rough sleepers who have homes but face difficulty returning for various reasons such as serious hoarding, or conflict with family members or co-tenants. We seek to assist all homeless people and rough sleepers in need of help, to ensure their safety and well-being.

Homeless people often grapple with multiple complex issues that require Government and community support. However, some of them may not know where to seek assistance; while others may decline help or avoid contact with social services and Government agencies. Therefore, MSF adopts a community-based social work approach to assisting the homeless. Since late 2017, MSF has been partnering various community groups1 and Government agencies in regular night walks so as to better reach out to and engage homeless people and rough sleepers, and share with them that there are shelters and services available. We would refer them to appropriate help agencies that can work with them on their immediate needs as well as underlying issues, so as to improve their circumstances. This collaboration led to the formal launch of the PEERS Network, which stands for Partners Engaging and Empowering Rough Sleepers Network, in July 2019.

Partners in the PEERS Network refer homeless people that they have reached out to and befriended to help agencies and shelters to help them attain stable housing and address other longer-term issues such as employment and family conflicts. MSF funds Social Service Agencies to provide shelter and social support at Transitional Shelters2 to homeless persons who require social work intervention to address their underlying issues. Social workers at the Transitional Shelters work with residents on their financial, employment, health and family issues, and help them to secure long-term stable housing. We aim to help residents at Transitional Shelters move into stable long-term accommodation within six months. An extension of stay can be granted if social workers assess that the residents need more time to work on their issues.

I would like to thank all our partners for working closely with us to provide better support for the homeless.

A small proportion of rough sleepers encountered by MSF have no family support and are unable to care for themselves, and may be considered to be destitute. We offer them care and rehabilitation at Welfare Homes, with the aim of reintegrating them back into the community. Statutory powers under the Destitute Persons Act are exercised only as the last resort in instances where the individual's safety has been assessed to be at risk, or the individual lacks mental capacity to make informed decisions for his welfare.

MSF has also collaborated with our PEERS partners to set up "Safe Sound Sleeping Places", or S3Ps, to provide rough sleepers a safe environment to rest for the night. S3Ps are ground-up initiatives set up with the goodwill of our community partners. They are sited in the premises of our community partners, which are located near to where the homeless persons sleep rough. To ensure the safety of others resting at the S3Ps, our community partners generally require rough sleepers to meet some basic conditions, such as refraining from consuming alcohol. Rough sleepers can stay at S3Ps until their issues have been resolved, they have been referred to Transitional Shelters, or they have secured longer-term housing options. S3Ps complement existing shelter and residential options, making it easier for government and social service agencies to engage homeless people and rough sleepers in a timely manner.

There are currently seven S3Ps with space for up to 56 individuals, with two more S3Ps in the pipeline. About 1 in 5 of all rough sleepers whom we reach out to on joint night walks with PEERS partners have accepted shelter at S3Ps. For the others who decline shelter, MSF and our partners continue to engage them, to persuade them to take up shelter.

MSF has also strengthened coordination between Government agencies to ensure that all rough sleepers whom we encounter are offered assistance. An inter-agency taskforce, consisting of 11 Government agencies3, was set up in May 2018. It reviews policies, programmes and protocols to address issues faced by homeless persons and rough sleepers. It also looks into upstream measures to prevent those at risk of losing their homes from becoming homeless. The taskforce builds on MSF's ongoing work to strengthen social service delivery, as well as the work of an earlier taskforce which had been set up in 2007 to strengthen inter-agency coordination on rough sleeping issues.

Ms Anthea Ong asked about the joint tenancy requirement for HDB's public rental housing. Minister Lawrence Wong will address this in his reply to Assoc Prof Daniel Goh's other Parliamentary Question on this same issue.

Our strong partnership with the PEERS network partners has enabled us to reach out to more homeless persons and rough sleepers in need, and to offer our support. MSF will continue to bring together more community partners into the PEERS Network, and support those who are willing to open up their premises as S3Ps for homeless people and rough sleepers.

If members of the public encounter any homeless individuals, they can play a part by calling the ComCare hotline at 1800 222 0000, or refer them to the nearest Social Service Office or Family Service Centre for assistance.